Monday, October 24, 2016

More Takeout from Roka Akor

I've reviewed Roka Akor before, back when I visited for the incredibly value Business Lunch deal, and again for the highest quality takeout sushi I've ever had, so I'll skip all the general restaurant details this time around.

This review is simple: more takeout.  I wanted good sushi to just eat at home, and since the catered sushi we had before from Roka was so amazing, I figured swinging by for takeout would be equally good.  I did mix it up this time and get a new dish, chirashi, rather than standard rolls and nigiri.
Chirashi. $19.50.
"Diced Assorted Sashimi over Sushi Rice."

Chirashi is available only for lunch, which is served Monday - Friday only.  Since I normally eat at work during the week, this has never been an option for me, but we had a rare public holiday when Roka Akor was still open, so I took advantage of it.

I went for chirashi because I couldn't make up my mind.  I sorta wanted the hamachi roll, I sorta wanted a tuna roll, I wanted a California roll ... or maybe I just wanted salmon sashimi.  Ok, yeah, I wanted sashimi.  Hmm, but no, I wanted rolls ... ahh!

I let indecision dictate my order.  I didn't want to decide, so I'd leave it up to the chefs.  My impression is that the chirashi changes depending on what they have available.  Plus, this way, I could eat some pieces just raw as if they were (very small) pieces of sashimi, and others I could mix with the rice, more like a roll.  Choose my own adventure.

My fish mix included salmon, tuna, and hamachi, nothing too out there.  I was really hoping for some crab, and dreamed of some uni, but I knew at this price point that was unlikely.  The portion of fish was generous.  There were also a couple scoops of ikura.

The fish was all cut into small cubes.  Most pieces were pretty fresh, but a few did rather seem like scrap pieces, a bit flimsy, or grainy.  Some had skin on.  The fish was all fine, but not particularly noteworthy.  I felt like eating the small cubes didn't really give me full experience of eating sashimi that I did want, and would have preferred larger slices.  Oops.

There were also a few pieces of asparagus (perhaps 4?) and a few cubes of avocado, which did help to compose some bites that were a bit more like rolls.  There were a few sprouts, which I actually really liked for the strong flavor, but I only got one bite with them.

The top was sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Oh, and two editable flowers for garnish!

Underneath it all was the rice, basic sushi rice, a bit sticky, a bit vinegary, as expected.

On the side I was provided soy sauce, but no wasabi or ginger.  I really wanted some kick from wasabi.

I really appreciated the plating, even for takeout.  What were the chances that it would survive even a short walk?  I was glad I stopped to take a look (and a photo!) right away.

But, overall, I didn't love this.  As I said, the fish was fine, but not remarkable.  The ratios of ingredients were just slightly off.  I wouldn't get it again, but I'm glad I tried it, and the $19.50 price makes it one of the better deals from Roka Akor.

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